Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia will be hosting a taxpayer-funded LGBT panel discussion during the upcoming school year to discuss topics on gender identity and transgenderism but won’t say if medical experts who believe gender dysphoria is a mental health issue will be invited to speak.

In a recent interview with Religion News Service’s Jonathan Merritt, pastor, theologian, and author Eugene Peterson affirmed same-sex marriage and the spirituality of Christians who identify as gay or lesbian.

Paul Williams, a pastor and former president of conservative church planting organization Orchard Group, has publicly come out as a transgender woman. His legal name is now Paula Stone Williams. Christian Today reports Williams served as the president of Orchard from from 1989 until 2009. He decided to live his life as a transgender woman in December 2012, but only just went public with the decision.

A leading figure in the Church of Scotland has told its General Assembly there is “no theological reason” to oppose same-sex marriage, paving the way for same-sex weddings in churches.

The Very Reverend Professor Iain Torrance, Convener of the influential Theological Forum, put forward a report to the Protestant Church’s General Assembly that, whilst acknowledging the Bible condemns same-sex acts, claims Scripture was framed by a “cultural context” that is no longer applicable, reportsThe Christian Post.

“We say that after reflection we can see no sufficient theological reason for the Church now not to authorise specific ministers to officiate at same-sex weddings,” the Very Rev. Iain Torrance told the assembly, proposing the governing body approve a study of how same-sex ceremonies could be allowed.

The report acknowledged that “conservative arguments” are based on the Bible’s recognition of sexual immorality, including same-sex acts, as sinful.

But the authors of the report justified the Theological Forum’s position on the grounds that “Scriptural condemnations of same-sex sexual activity were framed in cultural contexts very different from our own.”

The Christian Institute reported that a series of amendments put forward by conservative supporters of traditional, biblical marriage were defeated.

The influential legal organization warns it is willing to “take further action to prevent irreparable harm to the rights of our clients.”

WND reported last month Liberty Counsel officials said the teacher, Lora Jane Riedas, a member of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s Leadership Institute, had gone overboard in her LGBT advocacy.

She featured classroom décor that “blatantly promotes a pro-LGBT agenda,” reportedly retweeted during the school day “favorite queer web series for kids” and prohibited “at least three students from wearing Christian cross necklaces because she views them as ‘gang symbols.’”

Here are images of two necklaces the teacher banished:

Further, she put LGBT stickers on the notebooks her class uses. Her lesbian partner, also a teacher, “dressed as a nun for a school spirit week, complete with a ‘cross necklace’ made of skulls,’ and she singled out students for “false ‘misbehavior’ allegations” after they removed the LGBT stickers.